Transcription

1 Serious Play A case study exploring the selling of games-based learning in a Danish context and the prospects for its adoption. January 26, 2010 Cand. Soc. CBP Supervisor: Birgitte Tufte Center for Marketing and Communication Copenhagen Business School

4 Executive Summary Educational games and games-based learning (GBL) are a part of the larger serious games and global games industry. Playing games has been said to advance special skills and types of thinking not normally associated with traditional textbook learning. At the same time gamesbased learning is said to solve entrenched issues of student motivation. The adoption of games-based learning in the classroom, however, faces barriers in the educational field. This study first made a background analysis of the games industry, and outlined component elements of the Danish education system. The study then examined the literature on gamesbased learning and theory related to the use of digital resources in schools to identify the barriers to adoption of games, and to uncover design and marketing recommendations in the literature that might counter these barriers. The barriers fell under two general types: those that might hinder educational games acceptance as legitimate resources in the educational field; and practical implementation barriers. The empirical portion of the study used case study qualitative methods to examine how a Danish educational games developer addresses these barriers in a Danish context; and how three teachers received and evaluated the company s marketing efforts and one of its flagship products, the Global Conflicts: Latin America game. The small size of the teacher sample due to recruiting difficulties made it difficult to generalize the results onto the wider population of teachers. It is felt, however, that the findings, including the analysis of SGI s efforts in the market uncovered areas for further study. The study found that Danish teachers seem to be open to and interested in nontraditional educational material including games. They have broad experience using multimedia in their classrooms if in a supplementary fashion. The study also found that Serious Games Interactive is seemingly well-positioned to solve some of the market access and legitimacy issues in that it has the backing of educational publishers, intense affiliation with valuable partners in the educational field, and a well rated and professionally credible product. Still, GBL products face some of the intractable barriers identified in the literature including: a fragmented IT acquisition process in schools; deficient and variable computer resources; curriculum relevance demands; and while teachers are interested in and not intimidated by games (though the literature review might indicate this), they are still not wholly familiar with them. These findings are indications and need to be followed-up with further investigation with a larger sample of teachers in order to lend them greater validity. 2

5 1. Introduction This chapter will introduce the topic of games-based learning and its position in the broader context of the games industry. It will also introduce the case subject, Danish games developer, Serious Games Interactive (SGI), and set out the problem formulation for the study and outline research sub questions. 1.1 Serious games, educational games, and games-based learning Serious games are a niche market of electronic games that developed as the commercial gaming markets have matured, and as a space for developers to pursue other streams of income and interest during idle or down times in commercial product development cycles. The niche also developed in the wake of edutainment software products that emerged as CD- ROMs and the internet attained broad societal application in the late 1980s and 1990s. The phrase serious games first emerged through the Serious Games Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C., which saw the importance of game technologies for public education and public policy transmission and training. Serious games have been defined as games...that use the artistic medium of games to deliver a message, teach a lesson, or provide an experience (Michael and Chen 2006:23). Under the serious games market, several submarkets exist including educational games for games-based learning (GBL), military training games, corporate training, healthcare, government games, political/religious/art games, and games for the general public. Serious games are only a tiny percentage of a 25 billion US dollar interactive entertainment industry and a 35 billion USD global games industry (San Francisco Chronicle 2006, May 22). The games industry in general is growing rapidly: turnover for the global games industry is surpassing that from the film industry (IMAGINE 2005:8). Unlike commercial games, serious games tend to be funded from a variety of sources including the military, NGOs, universities, corporations, non-profit organizations, private individual investors, and governments. Budgets for serious games tend to be much smaller than for retail games with thinner profit margins. The majority of these games can cost less than 1 million USD to produce compared to a retail game which typically costs between 5 and 10 million USD to produce (Michael and Chen 2006: 9). While a good deal of serious games are played on pc s, there are also massive multiplayer online serious games, single player, mobile and even console (PlayStation, Xbox) supported games. They are using leading edge 3

6 games technologies, designs and skills to solve difficult issues for engineering companies, public utilities companies, and the military. These games are used for corporate training, branding, and for supporting the educational curricula in a number of schools. Some of this growth in serious games developed out of the increased use of popular commercial games for purposes other than entertainment, including SimCity, Civilization, and others. This modifying or modding of commercial off-the-shelf games (COTS) for use in the classroom is one aspect of games-based learning (GBL). The other aspect of GBL is purposely built games developed specifically for the educational market. Though this project will discuss both aspects, its main concern is educational games developed for schools. In Denmark, companies producing serious games are working foremost on medical and corporate training software. Though the competitive field was very difficult to discern for this project, it appears that SGI was one of two or three companies producing high end GBL games for schools in Denmark. Much of the Danish game developers labour force is working exclusively for the commercial market (IMAGINE 2005). 1.2 Company introduction: Serious Games Interactive Serious Games Interactive (SGI) was founded by Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen (SEN) midway through his doctoral thesis writing at Copenhagen s IT University. Egenfeldt-Nielsen graduated with degrees in psychology as well as education and gaming from the IT University. Since this writer s interest in this company developed from a short assignment in 2007, the company has increased its staff from 8 to fifteen full-time employees and a handful of interns working as marketing liaisons. Serious Games Interactive (SGI) also produces c for corporate training games for private clients, but its main focus is producing educational games for schools and governmental organizations. SGI s first dedicated educational game product produced in 2007 was Global Conflicts: Palestine, which the company s website has described as a computer game with an agenda (www.seriousgames.dk). The game requires students/players to assume the role of a journalist covering the Israeli-Palestinian crisis in the Middle East. Since the roll out of GC: Palestine, SGI has produced additional games in the series including GC: Latin America, GC: Child Soldier, and GC: Sweatshops. The developers aim to illuminate different perspectives on the different issues taken up in the games by challenging the journalist/investigator in each to remain objective in their reporting and/or to investigate matters of particular importance for one party in the conflict. The company hopes early adopters of instructional technology in the educational field will be exposed to the game online via their web portal or other educational 4

7 websites/sources and that word of mouth about the game s attributes will lead to its broader adoption in schools in Denmark and abroad. At the end of 2009, the company rolled out an additional series of GBL games called Playing History produced and available episode by episode for online download or on CD-ROM. These games are targeted to upper primary and middle school students. Examples of episode subjects in the Playing History series include the black plague, the slave trade, and witch hunts. The company s games, specifically games in the Global Conflicts series, have already won awards and achieved global exposure in global media outlets such as CNN and the BBC. 1.3 Research problem: Electronic gaming on the whole is a constantly growing market and serious games are increasingly building inroads to markets not interested in core commercial gaming staples such as shoot em up, role-playing titles. Serious games in the educational field or GBL games face some of the same barriers as edutainment software titles faced in the 1980s and 1990s. Looming large as barriers to adoption are reticent teachers and school districts that need educational products with an imprimatur of legitimacy before they are adopted; and practical implementation barriers such as lack of technological resources at schools and market challenges. SGI believes it can break down barriers between the commercial gaming markets and the educational markets with the belief that a game product with design on a par with commercial games and content developed with educational theory in mind will translate to a viable, credible and legitimate educational product for students, teachers, educational authorities and parents. This paper will address the following question: What are the barriers to adoption of games-based learning (GBL) in schools, and how does one game developer, Serious Games Interactive, address these barriers in the Danish context? 1.5 Research sub questions The following research questions were devised to help answer the thesis question. 5

8 What is games-based learning? What are the perceived benefits of such games? What barriers exist to the adoption of these games in the educational field? What does the market for such games look like in Denmark and are barriers identified in the literature observable in the Danish context? How are educational material decisions made in the Danish educational field? What is SGI s current strategy in the market? How do Danish teacher s experience educational games and SGI s product? 2. Methodology This chapter will describe the different elements of the methodology used for the study, including: a background industry analysis; literature review; and the case study method. It will also describe data instruments and collection. 2.1 Background analysis and theory selection A background analysis is done to provide context for discussion of educational games and games-based learning. The first part of the background analysis includes a discussion of the games industry structure, the value chain, game development processes, and a description of terms for games-based learning. Distinctions are drawn between instructional design and game development. The second part of the background analysis provides a sketch of the Danish school system in order to provide a context for discussion of the prospects for adoption of GBL in a local setting. Theory selected for review includes literature on educational games, serious games, and digital games-based learning. Since the literature is still new and not substantial in number, the review is supplemented by examining the literature on digital practices in schools. It was felt that parallels could be drawn between the reception and adoption issues surrounding digital resources and educational games. 2.2 Empirical analysis: Case study rationale The method used for the project is case study. The inquiry is an attempt to gain deeper insight into which barriers may exist for the adoption of educational games or games-based learning in a local context and how one educational games producer operates in that local context. The research design is both exploratory and explanatory. It is exploratory in the sense that it may help further define research problems in the topic area and help establish background 6

9 information on games-based learning. It is explanatory in that theoretical inputs were used to design portions of the empirical study. The thrust of the second set of interview questions to teachers, for example, was informed by the literature review. Case studies are a valuable way of looking at the world around us, and asking how or why questions and there is the opportunity to find an appropriate balance on the induction-deduction continuum (Yin, 1993). The unit of case analysis is the educational games company, Serious Games Interactive, and a small sample of teachers who are actors in the market for educational games. The two are studied in tandem in what Yin describes as the embeddedness of units of analysis in case studies (Yin 1993: 49). 2.3 Data collection and instruments According to Yin (1994) evidence for case studies comes from six possible sources: documents, archival records, interviews, direct observations, and participant-observation and physical artifacts. No individual source has a total or distinct advantage over the other sources, and all are complementary. The advantage of using several sources is the development of converging lines of inquiry or triangulation. The data collection for this study were multiple as they were collected from company documents, interviews with both market actors, and company representatives, and the physical artefact of the Global Conflicts: Latin America game itself. Case studies using multiple sources of evidence have proven to be rated more highly in terms of overall quality than those that relied on a single source of information (Yin 1994). To some extent, this reflects positively in the validity of the qualitative data provided here. Interviews for this case study were conducted with the commercial director for Serious Games Interactive, Mikkel Lucas Overbye (MLO), as well as with three teachers in Greater Copenhagen. All of the interviews, examination of SGI s promotional material and websites, and playing of the Global Conflicts: Latin America game itself comprised the primary data for this project. Secondary data for the project included news articles, industry related web pages, governmental and consultancy reports, and global. This secondary data was used to provide a background picture of the games industry and to make distinctions between games and game development for the retail markets and the educational market SGI company interview: Mikkel Lucas Overby The literature on case study methodology maintains that case study interviews are typically unstructured and/or semi-structured (Blumberg, Cooper, and Schindler 2004: 193). An initial 7

10 semi-structed interview was conducted with Mr. Oberby (MLO). This one in-person interview and multiple follow up interviews were administered in order to get a sense of Serious Games Interactive s strategy with regard to products and marketing efforts. The in-person interview was conducted in Mr. Overby s office at SGI company in Nørrebro neighbourhood of Copenhagen and lasted approximately one hour and fifteen minutes Teacher interviews The original methodology design called for conducting a focus group of teachers to evaluate SGI s Global Conflicts: Latin America game. It was thought that this may provide some insight into local adoption barriers related to games-based learning. The researcher would introduce the game to the teachers and they would then be allotted forty-five minutes to play the game. Game playing would be followed by a minimum of one half hour of discussion. The entire focus group meeting was expected to last a maximum of two hours. It was thought that a focus group discussion would provide an interesting discussion and evaluation of the game. Fifteen teachers from seven different schools around Greater Copenhagen were approached by for recruitment to a focus group. They were identified by web page searches of schools and faculty.the introduced them to the research objective and included a request for participation. There were four initial responses of interest in the winter of 2009, but arrangement of a meeting for the focus group proved extremely difficult on account of the teachers schedules, work/living locations, and the length of the meeting time requested. This first methodology was abandoned and a second developed where teachers would play the game on their own at home within a two week period and then answer questions by . The hope was for a minimum of six interviews to be conducted- spread evenly between upper primary school and secondary school teachers. This second recruitment attempt (directed toward the original four teachers who had shown earlier interest and ten others) also proved very challenging with very few replying to an request for participation (sent Spring 2009). Those who did reply said they were now too busy to participate. Others said they are approached too often by other researchers and have very limited time to participate in more than one study. This was heard even after it was emphasized to them, that the study would not require them to test the game on their students in the classroom (often the case for other studies). In the end, opportunity sampling was used and the final sample ended with only 3 participants. While this is significantly less than was hoped for and affects the validity of 8

11 generalizing findings onto the market, the participants answers to interview questions may point to others areas of follow up study on this topic and give some voice to the issue of barriers to adoption from the market/customer perspective. The difficulties this researcher experienced recruiting for the study seems to show that teachers have very little discretionary time and that this may come to be reflected in their attitudes toward the adoption of a new learning medium. The analysis section of the thesis will consider this question. The reason interviews were conducted was twofold: 1) nearly all initial respondents expressed limited time frame availability for participation; 2) teachers were playing and evaluating the product on their own schedules (due to these time constraints) and it made most sense for them to answer questions as soon as they had played the game and in a manner that allowed for thoughtful reflection. To have then done in-person interviews with the teachers would have required less time for playing the game and a more rushed interview process. It was also felt that teachers are accustomed to evaluating (and creating) course material and reflecting on its use on their own. The advantages and disadvantages of interviewing are important to enumerate here. Meho (2006) discusses these advantages and disadvantages in depth. The advantages include cost and efficiency ones: more than one participant can be interviewed at once since it is done asynchronously; time costs related to interview transcription process is reduced significantly; the difficulties in getting time commitments in large blocks is solved as the participant can participate at his or her convenience though within a set time period of a couple of weeks; and the semi-anonymous nature of the communication (we never met) allows for more self-disclosure and reflection in some cases (Meho 2006: ). The disadvantages include the loss of important visual or nonverbal cues given in face-to-face interviews (Meho 2006: 1289). On the other side of this, however, is that some of these cues (shyness, race and gender, dress, voice tones, etc) could bias the researcher in a face-to-face interview and make it more challenging. The ability or inability to express oneself in writing may be an advantage or disadvantage to the study in terms of data collected. Overall, it is felt that copious and thoughtful data can be collected by this method in a way that is empowering to the participant since they control the flow of the conversation (Bowker and Tuffin 2004). The preliminary interview with teachers was a questionnaire related to their professional and private experience with digital technology. This questionnaire was used to get a sense of the individual teacher s background and history of interacting with new media because it s been shown that technology use in the classroom is 9

12 strongly influenced by teachers own attitudes and history with that technology (Russell, M. et al 2003). The second interview was sent after the first was completed and returned to the researcher. The teachers were sent a copy of the Global Conflicts: Latin America game, background support material created by SGI (including a Teacher s Manual, User Manual, Sample student assignments, etc) and the second interview, which they were instructed to complete after playing the same two missions of the game. These questions asked the teachers to evaluate the game on a number of criteria. The criteria were developed with barriers to GBL adoption theoretical framework (developed from the literature review) in mind. Transcriptions of all interviews can be read in the appendix. 2.4 Delimitation This study is exploratory and preliminary. The researcher can imagine a follow up survey of a larger sample of teachers who have used the game in a similar methodology or one administered to teachers who have used the game in the classroom. The former would require a significant and persistent effort at recruitment and the latter would require the cooperation of school administrators, teachers and the company itself. SGI has conducted case studies on the use of its games in the classroom. The researcher thought it would be interesting (and not only more feasible) to explore and evaluate teachers assumptions, expectations, and experience of an educational game product prior to classroom use since initial teacher resistance is one of the reasons the product may never reach a classroom. Statistics on the educational games market were difficult to ascertain given the newness of this market and the overlap between product categories that the market can fall under: COTS games used for education; purposely developed educational games; serious games; and educational software markets. Similarly, the competition was difficult to identify in the local context. An additional limitation is that the project does not focus on traditional theory on technology adoption, including the work of Von Hippel. This is partly because a good deal of this theory focuses on corporate or private consumer adoption of technology. It was also not examined because such theory posits a lead user, and this lead user aspect of the theory seemed less applicable in the educational institutional context since decision-making in instructional material buys seem more diffused even than that which occurs in the corporate or consumer markets. The researcher could imagine another interesting project that chose to focus 10

13 exclusively on these differences. And while there are studies that focus on institutional adoption of technology, this researcher chose to focus as closely as possible on theory related to the adoption of games-based learning in schools. Some overlap on the adoption of general digital practices in schools was used and incorporated since parallels could be drawn. 2.5 Data analysis Coding of primary data evidence from the case study was done for both SGI company data and that provided by the teachers. Qualitative coding consists of three procedures: 1) noticing relevant phenomena, 2) collecting examples of those phenomena, and 3) analyzing those phenomena in order to find commonalities, differences, patterns and structures (Esterberg 2002: 158). Primary data documents from the company s website and its teacher support material, and examination of the GC: LA game were examined along with the interviews with Mikkel Lucas Overbye to gain a perspective on the company s marketing efforts and a sense of its own understanding of GBL adoption barriers. This material was also reviewed repeatedly with the theoretical framework and teacher interviews in mind to identify possible gaps in marketing or company strategy. Coding of the interview with MLO was done according to themes addressed in the literature review. The teachers preliminary interviews on their digital background experience were analyzed in tandem with the second interview answers. Often answers to the second interview questions might relate directly back to those in the first interview for a particular teacher. Analysis of the teachers second interview answers was conducted by comparing the three teachers responses to the evaluation criteria developed from the literature review. In this sense, the interview answers to the second set of interviews were already coded and needed only to be compared. 2.6 Project structure The background analysis follows in Chapter Three. Following this, is a review of the literature in Chapter Four, the main case study findings and analysis in Chapter Five; and a summary and concluding section in Chapter Six. A bibliography of resources consulted for the project is included as is an appendix with transcripts of all interviews. 3.0 Background analysis: Games industry and Danish schools This chapter provides a background of the commercial games industry as well as providing a a context for discussion of the market for games-based learning products, by looking at the differences between educational games and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) games. A 11

14 sketch of the Danish school system is also included to provide some background for the local case. 3.1 Games The value chain and industry structure It may be useful to outline the basic components of games and game playing, examine the value chain for game production, and reiterate the distinctions between educational games and COTS games; and differences between GBL design and traditional instructional design Platforms or hardware: Platforms, the physical devices on which games are played, must be discussed when addressing the differences between educational games and retail games. The major game platforms right now are the four leading consoles: Sony Playstation 2, Microsoft Xbox and Game Cube, Nintendo Wii, and the personal computer (Windows or Mac). Handheld gaming devices, including the Game Boy, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, cell phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants), are growing at a significant rate. Games produced for schools are increasingly being developed across different platforms but primarily for the PC as this permits more diversified distribution model-subscriptions, individual lesson purchases, and generally cheaper technology inputs Middleware: Middleware is the software that runs the graphics that are central to game development. Middleware includes high-speed code compilers and game engines. Middleware producers are usually small to medium sized companies that license their software to game developers. Some larger platform and software producers have entered this part of the value chain including Microsoft and Electronic Arts. Still the majority of game developers rely on their own middleware technology. For every videogame developed with licensed middleware, ten others are built from scratch (OECD 2005: 19). This is because work on middleware is often required in order to update or improve a game and licensing contracts make it difficult for third parties to gain intellectual property rights over their improvements. Educational games producers such as SGI often license their middleware. SGI license its UNITY3 game engine from the company UNITY, originating in Denmark but now based in San Francisco, California Genre software (the game product type): The genre of a game describes its basic style of game play. Often games will fit in one or more genres, particularly the latest games. Major genres and examples include: 12

15 Adventure: ex. Tomb Raider, Grand Theft Auto Role-Playing Game (RPG): ex. Star Wars, Diablo First-person Shooter (FPS): ex. Doom, Halo 2 Fighting: ex. Mortal Kombat Real Time Strategy (RTS): ex. Warcraft, Civilization, Dune Simulation: ex. The Sims, SimCity, Microsoft Flight Simulators Sports: ex Madden Football, FIFA Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) & Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG): ex. Everquest, Final Fantasy Puzzle: ex, Minesweeper, Tetris Racing: ex. Gran Turismo, Mario Kart Serious and/or Educational: ex Oregon Trail, Carmen Sandiego MORE ex Developers: The game developer is the equivalent of the music band or movie director/ in other creative industries. Like these industries, however, game development is a collaborative process and the developer is usually a company of anywhere from 5 to 100 people including tech coders, storytelling experts, and graphic artists. Large retail publishers often have in-house developers. Smaller companies may hire different individuals supplying particular skills on a project basis. Testers are an extension of the development team or firm. A first group of testers, particularly for a small firm may be friends and contacts of employees, then for hire testers are used after initial game bugs are fixed. All of this occurs in an iterative process. In educational games production testing may occur in a local classroom and content experts (though not often instructional designers) are consulted and provide an important part of the mixed skill set that is needed for educational game development Publishers: In mainstream game production, publishers earn the most revenue. Their main function is to find games and market these to distributors, retailers and end users. Like a large film company, publishers try to avoid risks by having a portfolio of products to sell to different buyer segments. Some publishers, as mentioned earlier, design and develop games themselves and others are developed through licensing. Ideally, publishers like to have a cross-platform strategy for their products so they can increase sales, that is, a game title should play on the different consoles as well as PC and increasingly on mobile phones. In the educational games market, publishers are also sought but tend to be more reluctant to sign on to such material. 13

16 Many educational publishers lost money trying to sell edutainment CD-ROMs in the 90s and are still reluctant to enter the market. Although since games for education are predominantly built for play on PCs, direct online marketing to teachers via subscription is one channel of distribution. Still educational publishers carry a lot of weight in the education market in terms of their experience with providing curriculum relevant material Distributors: Distributors are the bridge between developer / publisher and retailer. In the educational market, this bridge would be between the developer/sometimes publisher and the school or teacher. Large international games publishers such as Electronic Arts may have in-house distribution, others may choose to license distribution. Payment models include retail purchase, subscription and download (increasingly for educational games), pay per play (at Internet cafes), and physical copies of CD-ROMS in all markets Retailers: Retailers have the most power in the console gaming markets, but download distribution models are affecting and sometimes eliminating the need for retailers in some cases. The difference in the value chain for retail games and educational games is that for educational games typically (unless it s a modified COTS game) the retail function is left out and publishers and distributors are sometimes bypassed out of necessity (when no interest is shown by them) so a title is sold by word of mouth, via educational conferences, developer and educational ministry web portals. In the traditional educational textbook market, publishers play a very important role. Having a publisher/distributor is still the desired outcome of the development of an educational game Game developer and publisher websites The value chain for both COTS and the educational games markets increasingly use game developer or publisher websites to market directly to customers, effectively acting as distributors/retailers. Often a serious games or GBL games developer puts a lot of effort into designing a web portal for distribution of its games since as previously discussed; publishers are reluctant to distribute educational games. Also since sales are generally slow in the educational GBL market, it is necessary as a supplement. These portals are integral to games in general and would exist for other purposes anyway since they provide online forums for users which provide useful feedback for developers. 14

17 The figure below describes the value chain for the commercial off the shelf (COTS) games industry. The dash borders around middleware providers indicates that sometimes middleware is provided or created in-house with the game developer. Fig.1, COTS game industry value chain, source: OECD 2009 By way of comparison, the figure illustrating the value chain for the games-based learning industry reflects the fact that publishers and distributors are not always involved in the sale of educational games. Again, while it is ideal to have a publisher with established channels of marketing and distribution, in some sense the serious games and GBL companies often improvise or sell in more direct channels (see figure below). 15

18 Figure 2, Games-based learning industry value chain, source: Own, adapted from OECD Games-Based Learning (GBL) As first discussed in the project introduction, games-based learning for schools is comprised of two categories of games: games developed purposely as educational games, usually with input from educators or subject experts; and modified or modded commercial off the shelf games (COTS)-that is, existing retail games modified for use in the classroom. Most often, educators at the middle school and high school levels have used modified retail games due to a lack of compelling choice from educational games producers. Some of the differences between COTS games and games for games-based learning are described in the table below: 16

19 Mainstream/COTS Games Widely known as computer and/or video games Developed solely for fun for the user and to maximise profit for the publisher Typically developed for PCs and video games consoles. Contemporary titles usually require the most powerful hardware currently available Increasingly developed in relatively simplistic format for mobile telephones Typically sophisticated in terms of graphics, interface and complexity; production budgets similar to small to medium sized film budgets Marketed directly to games players as being fun and exciting, graphically superb, the best game of its particular genre Uses high review scores in games magazines and tie-ins with other media as marketing aids Dedicated Educational Games Historically known as edutainment, though negative associations with this word mean it is largely avoided by contemporary games publishers Almost exclusively produced for the PC; very few titles for the Mac or dedicated games consoles Games are more simplistic, are produced in a range of formats, eg Flash, Shockwave, Java, Visual Basic Most titles are designed for sole-user, offline play. Development costs are typically a fraction of those of major pure digital games Not typically marketed to users, instead marketed mainly to parents and teachers Marketed as being accurate, relevant to formal curriculum, developing specific skills/knowledge Uses recommendations from teacher, parent and educational organisations as marketing aids Table 1, Differences btwn COTS and GBL games, source: Adapted, Kirriemuir and McFarlane 2009, Prensky More explicit definitions of games-based learning will be discussed in the literature review Game development versus instructional design As discussed earlier, the structure and value chain of the commercial games industry is different from the educational games sector. Game development studios rely heavily on publishing companies (such as the market leader, Electronic Arts) to fund the development, production, marketing and distribution of new games. However, the vast majority of design knowledge, experience and creativity is held in these games development studios. While educational publishers are important for delivery of traditional teaching material such as textbooks, educational games developers have had trouble gaining the interest of publishers. Therefore financing from educational publishers is nearly non-existent. Commercial games publishers bring valuable skills, resources and drive to commercial games, but they are not necessarily dedicated games design specialists. 17

20 The research on what games may have to offer to education is still in its infancy; however, it is game developers rather than instructional designers who may offer experience and insights of most interest to education by, for instance: designing engaging game levels or episodes effectively building up the level of challenge for the player using accumulated interaction data to develop and adapt a game to the player s actions developing graphically engaging and motivating game worlds. It has been argued that instructional design and academic experts may be too used to designing linear content to be able to contribute to the development of effective educational media including games (Aldrich 2004; Rushby 2005). On the other hand, game and media designers may not have the experience in teaching, learning, and assessment of a topic to ensure that new media geared toward it are effective (Race 2001). The best of both games design and instructional design should be combined, but effective forums for sharing experience and developing collaboration may be needed. Game development for the educational market differs from the development of retail games and from the development of traditional models of instructional design. In this sense, GBL developers occupy a hybrid position. The design/development process of educational games is similar to instructional design models, but Squire (Squire 2008: 26) points out additional techniques and/or stages of developing that may be required for educational games including: 1. Managing expectations 2. Providing a holistic model of the product for clients 3. Iterative design 4. Early user feedback 5. Increased importance of visual designers 6. New business models 7. Distributing instructional design tasks across roles Developers and educators may have very different expectations because there are few examples of games-based learning in general. A significant number of teachers and educational publishers, for example, are non-gamers and therefore they require more introduction/information and careful management of expectations. Prototyping is typical in game development process so designers can see what works and doesn t in terms of game play. In traditional instructional design needs analysis, design 18

21 documents or written specifications will be developed first. The game developer s prototype process requires the core game dynamic be established first, which then gets reworked and polished in an iterative process (Squire 2008: 27). This occurs on a much larger scale than it does in textbook production. A risky market (high production costs, innovative design and uneven sales outcomes) means that user feedback is often brought in early in the design process. Developers need to know early if all elements of the game including aesthetics, game play, and educational goals are being coordinated effectively. Late changes, again, can be costly. Visual designers have a much larger role to play than in traditional textbook production and a collaborative, productive relationship between programmers, artists, storytellers and instructional designers is needed to produce an educational game. Other differences between traditional instructional design markets (textbook) and GBL markets related to distribution and promotion. In the GBL market and the software market in general, these rapidly shift. Platforms, pricing models for games distribution also are often in flux. GBL companies must be informed and ready to adapt to evolving models and to spot effective new ones. 3.2 Danish schools: The system and general IT integration This section will discuss various aspects of the Danish primary/middle (folkeskole) and secondary (gymnasium) school systems. It is intended to provide a glimpse into the educational objectives of the two kinds of schools as well as identify the digital and general resources available to schools. Education in Denmark is compulsory for everyone between the ages of 6 and 16 and while most education is public, private schools and home schooling also exist. Danish education is free through university and Danish public schools are municipally (and amt) run-that is, these authorities own and run the schools, administering salaries, buildings, and educational resources. The municipalities are given block grants from the Danish state. The school system is divided into two types of school related to an early elementary and middle school education and a high school university prep course in the other. The folkeskole is one year of preschool, nine years of elementary and middle schooling and one additional year (though not all take this, those going on to university are required). Gymnasiums are generally two to three year college preparatory schools. There are no national regulations on the manner of teaching, 19

22 but the Danish Educational Ministry sets goals for each subject and national tests are required to make evaluate whether these goals are met. With regard to general digital technology efforts, the Danish government has been very proactive in funding and providing direction for initiatives. At the end of the 1990s there were heavy investments in infrastructure with regard to internet access. Three specific initiatives were started in the last ten years: IT Media and the Danish Folkekole ( ); The Virtual Gymnasium ( ) and IT in the Danish Fokeskole ( ). These initiatives primarily consisted of studies related to integration of IT in the different schools. The Virtual Gymnasium report, for example, included IT competences as a fourth vital skill alongside the three other traditional skills taught in schools: reading, writing and arithmetic (DME 2001:30). This report in particular outlined the various uses of IT for different subjects and gave large emphasis on its importance in facilitating flexible learning -where IT was important for facilitating learning so teachers and students need not be in the same physical space. According to the report, most teachers at the gymnasium level use IT prolifically but that it is not a dominating part of their teaching. And that: Tuition is largely completed with the traditional educational resources books, pencil and paper... (DME 2001:30). This particular report is nine years old, so it will be interesting to see if this project s small sample of teachers concurs with this. The DME report also found: Few teachers discussed negative aspects of IT in teaching, which can be attributed to their vast experience with using technology. They use IT, only where they find it relevant and where it adds to the teaching. They emphasize that students can quickly tell when IT is being used for technology s sake and not with a subject relevant or pedagogic purpose. (DME 2001:50). A recent report done with the Education Ministry and EVA (the evaluation arm of state s education apparatus) found similarly, that folkeskole teachers also used IT in a supplementary fashion with traditional teaching tools, but that there was also a demand from teachers for further training and after education on implementing IT in subject specific courses (EVA 2009). This study also found that folkeskoles school leadership s prioritization of IT has a large role in the integration and functioning of IT in the school. Often there is access to IT, but it isn t always functioning well for teachers (EVA 2009: 80). So according to these reports, teachers in Denmark seem to be comfortable with digital practices, tend to use them currently as one tool in a box of many in their teaching, are interested in incorporating them 20

23 further, but are sometimes hindered by inadequate resources or teacher training in their use. These issues will be discussed further in the literature section of the project. Neither of these Danish studies discussed educational games. More discussion of digital learning resources in Denmark and the Education Ministry s EMU web portal will conclude the background analysis section. Before that, however, it may be useful to give a general background of the folkeskole and gymnasium systems in order to provide some context for discussion of SGI target markets and the educational field in which the company operates in Denmark Folkeskole or upper primary school The municipality or kommune school board is responsible for more specific educational target setting for folkeskoler and in addition to national testing, quality assurance is the responsibility of a number of partners including the kommune, individual schools, and students and parents Curriculum The required subjects in folkeskole include subjects in 3 broad areas: humanities (including courses in Danish, English, Christian studies, history, and social studies); practical/creative subjects (including courses in phys. Ed, music, art, and shop or home economics); and science subjects (maths, natural sciences/technology, geography, biology, physics and chemistry). In addition to these, there are required course in road safety, health and sex education, and labour and educational market preparation Local and national objectives On a federal level, the Danish folkeskole is regulated by the Folkeskole Act which offers a framework for aims and standard requirements regarding which subjects are taught in the schools. Though individual municipalities and schools have fair latitude in organising themselves, they must prepare an annual quality report. The Education Ministry determines Common Objectives for folkeskole education. There are required national objectives regarding the subject aims, knowledge to be disseminated and skills areas to be developed. There are also objectives on what is called form levels, which is what is to be achieved and measured at the end of their program of education in the different subjects Class size and assessment Unlike American schools where student proficiency is a factor in determining which classes the students take, the Danish folkskole divides classes solely on the basis of age. The average 21

24 folkeskole class has 20 students and usually cannot exceed 28. The school is not exam oriented and assessment does not generally include grades of failure. Though national testing exists, education is very geared to individual ability. And no two students are given the same time so comparisons cannot be made within a class. At the end of 9 th form, students do go to exams in seven subjects (5 mandatory and 2 randomly drawn). There is also a mandatory interdisciplinary project Educational materials and purchasing decisions Learning resources at the individual folkeskoles library consists of books, PCs, IT software, electronic databases and net services available to students and teachers alike. In addition to this, each region has its own teacher resource center and some counties have set up media resource centers IT and computer use in Folkeskoles Since 2003, nearly a billion Danish kroner have been invested by the municipal and national governments to reduce the ratio of student to computer in folkeskoler. In 2006, that number was 4.88 students per computer in the folkeskole (DME 2007). The aim was to place them in individual classrooms and not only specially assigned computer rooms. According to the educational ministry 60 million Danish kroner has been invested in creating a national stage for both traditional and digital teaching material. All folkeskoles use LMS (learning management systems) to facilitate communication. The Danish Ministry of Education also disseminates information on teaching materials through its EMU web portal and supports the publication of documents promoting the use of GBL in the classroom, including Et Virtuelspring I Computerspil til Undersvisning (DME and IT Medie I Folkeskole 2005) Gymnasium or secondary schools After folkeskole, students can choose between vocational schools or a general secondary education. Thirty-three percent choose the former and sixty percent the latter (Gymnasieskolernes Lærerforening 2008 [web page] URL: Sites/WWW/Forside/Uddannelse_og_udvikling/it_politik). The point of gymnasium education is preparation for higher education. In order to be admitted, a student should have completed nine-ten yrs of basic education in Denmark or its equivalent, and must have taken the mandatory final exam of folkeskole. If the student has not taken these tests, they must take an admissions test. To be admitted to the HF gymnasium (one of four types, see below), the students also needs to have taken final exams in Danish, English, math, a second foreign language and physics/chemistry. 22

Engagement and motivation in games development processes Engagement and motivation in games development processes Summary... 1 Key findings... 1 1. Background... 2 Why do we need to engage with games developers?...

The Game Development Process Slides: largely based on Mark Claypool (WPI, USA) course on game development Outline Introduction Game Business Overview Stats Shape Game Companies Structure Timeline References

Research and Digital Game- based Play: A Review of Martha Madison White Paper Compiled by Anne Snyder, Ph.D. Second Avenue Learning is a certified women- owned business, specializing in the creation of

Teacher training - B. Ed. programme for The objective of the B. Ed. Programme for school teachers is to train teachers for the school and to provide a basis for further training. With a view to their professionally

Taken from the course CSC207, Java Games Programming by Philip Hanna Queen s University, Belfast, Ireland Video Game Technologies 10531: MSc in Computer Science and Engineering 11156: MSc in Game Design

A STATISTICS COURSE FOR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS Gary Kader and Mike Perry Appalachian State University USA This paper will describe a content-pedagogy course designed to prepare elementary

MR CHU: Thank you. I would like to start off by thanking the Central Policy Unit for the invitation. I was originally from Hong Kong, I left Hong Kong when I was 14 years old, it is good to come back with

STEM Perceptions: Student & Parent Study Parents and Students Weigh in on How to Inspire the Next Generation of Doctors, Scientists, Software Developers and Engineers Commissioned by Microsoft Corp. Introduction

317 INTRODUCTION TO INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA. (1) An introductory instructional media experience including basic production and utilization techniques for media materials and operation of commonly used educational

Marketing Plan Table of Contents What is Greetings From? How does it work? Basic marketing questions Who would buy Greetings From? Teachers Competition References What is Greetings From? Greetings From

Film Literacy Now And In The Future Showing films and other audiovisual content in European schools obstacles and best practices Like literature, film must be included in the school curricula, and students

PROGRAMME AND COURSE OUTLINE MASTER S PROGRAMME IN MULTICULTURAL AND INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION 12O ECTS credits The academic year 2013/2014 Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences Faculty

Executive summary The animation and gaming industry have undergone a metamorphosis in the past two years. The ride has been eventful from the highs of 2006-07 where expectations were immense to the lows

Proposed Minor in Media Studies Department of Communication University of Utah The minor in Media Studies is designed to serve students who have interests and/or needs to develop enhanced knowledge related

Developing Research & Communication Skills Guidelines for Information Literacy in the Curriculum Executive Summary This handbook provides colleges and universities with suggestions for how they might develop

Science Municipalities education for growth Experiences and recommendations from the Science Municipality project 2008-2011 About this booklet This booklet is mainly aimed at policymakers, school administrators,

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Institute for Art and Architecture Curriculum Commission for Architecture CURRICULUM OF THE MASTER S PROGRAM IN ARCHITECTURE AT THE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS VIENNA (MArch) Table

Programme Specification Every taught course of study leading to a UAL award is required to have a Programme Specification. This summarises the course aims, learning outcomes, teaching, learning and assessment

University of Nebraska Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Service Learning, General Service Learning 2-2000 Highlights from Service-Learning in California's Teacher Education Programs: A White Paper Andrew Furco

Simulated Environments and Gaming Executive Summary Simulated environments and video games represent an increasingly significant sector of the national and international economy. Application of related

NYSED/NYCDOE JOINT INTERVENTION TEAM REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS BEDS Code/DBN: 08X540 School Name: School For Community Research and Learning 1980 Lafayette Avenue School Address: Bronx, NY 10473 Principal:

Date of ratification 2013-01-31 Dnr FAK 2012/628 Faculty Board School of Business and Economics Third-cycle studies at Linnaeus University are regulated in the Higher Education Act and the Higher Education

Analysis of the Romanian policy context 29 5 1.9 National Report of Romania PART 1: A DESCRIPTIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED ACCOUNT OF THE NATIONAL CONTEXT Introduction: Organization of education in Romania Romania

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF MUSIC Music Industry Futures Issues A Report of the NASM Working Group on Music Industry Programs in Higher Education September 2007 INTRODUCTION The following list of

Masters Degree (MED) Individualized Plan of Study, Concentration in Early Childhood Studies Overview of Plan of Study: MCLA is currently conducting a needs assessment to determine the level of interest

Teaching with Games: COTS games in the classroom By Richard Sandford In the last few years, academics and educationalists have seen a massive rise in the amount of attention accorded to games as learning

Syllabus Master s Programme in Child Studies (60/120 credits) Aim The objective of the United Nation s Convention on the Rights of the Child is to protect children, a group considered particularly vulnerable,

Educational Technology Department Updated Course Descriptions July 1, 2015 EDTC 612 Technology in the Math/ Science Curriculum (3) This course focuses on the use of math/ science technology to find new

Nefertari International Schools IBDP Candidate School Whole School Language Policy Release Date: September 2014 To be Reviewed: September 2019 Introduction Before framing the language policy for the International

EM 8922 December 2006 $2.00 A Guide for New Manufacturers Using Food Brokers in the Northwest J.A. Beaman and A.J. Johnson Contents A professional at sales...1 Types of manufacturers represented by brokers...3

Program Summary Design plays a central and formative role in shaping communities, technology and business. Never have designers been expected to cultivate such a diverse set of skills and knowledge. MFA

COMMUNICATION COMMRC 0005 INTERVIEWING AND INFORMATION GATHERING 3 cr. Students are introduced to the fundamental principles of interviewing, including the interpersonal communication process, the structure

Programme Syllabus for Master of Science in Management 120 higher education credits Second Cycle Established by the Faculty Board of the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg,

Curriculum for the main subject at Master s level in Film and Media Studies, the 2013 curriculum Adjusted 2014 Emended 2015 Department of Media, Cognition and Communication The Faculty of Humanities University

University of Cambridge: Programme Specifications Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this programme specification. Programme specifications are produced and then reviewed

Discuss DIVERSITY AND PROFESSIONAL DISPOSITIONS 1 SECTION I CONTEXT Provide the following contextual information: 1. Description of any state or institutional policies that may influence the application

Programme description for PhD Programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education (180 ECTS credits) at Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences Approved by the Oslo and Akershus University

Program Overview The PhD in Business Leadership and Administration is designed for professionals located nation wide who desire an advanced degree in business to excel in their careers. In addition, the

Report on Game Design and Development Courses Meeting Knowledge Areas Brent M. Dingle Summer 2014 Revised Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 Abstract This document approaches a Game Design and Development (GDD)

Towards a UNESCO culture and development indicators suite Working document 2 Dimension n 2: Educational dimension of culture for development I. Summary list of indicators INDICATORS NEEDING FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

1 Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts, Malmö General Syllabus for Third Cycle Studies in Music Education Leading to a Doctor of Philosophy 1. Programme details Programme and specialisation: Third cycle

City University of Hong Kong Information on agateway Education Course offered by School of Creative Media with effect from Semester A in 2014/15 Part I Course Title: Course Code: Course Duration: Video

SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION GRADUATE www.com.miami.edu DEPARTMENTS The School of Communication offers the Master of Arts in the Department of Communication Studies (MA in Communication Studies), the Department

The International Student Experience Chatham University welcomes International Students! Students from all over the world find their home at Chatham University. Cultural diversity is welcomed and celebrated

IntroductiontoManagementInformationSystems Summary 1. Explain why information systems are so essential in business today. Information systems are a foundation for conducting business today. In many industries,

1 (7) LAHTI UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES DEGREE REGULATIONS Lahti University of Applied Sciences degree regulations are established on the Polytechnics Act (351/2003) and Government Decree on Polytechnics

GAMMEL HELLERUP GYMNASIUM english 2 Welcome to Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium In this brochure we would like to introduce you to s educational programme, extracurricular activities and school spirit. is a sixth